


lucidity

by orphan_account



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 00:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1760191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Luffy steps in the way of a poisoned arrow for Robin, she deigns it her responsibility to take care of him while he's in the sickbay, whether he's broken and desperately delusional or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lucidity

**Author's Note:**

> I should be asleep, [mari](http://maridoodles.tumblr.com) is adorable and if you guys don’t follow her yet, I highly recommend it! Her commissions are amazing, too. I may or may not still be crying right now. Enjoy!

They’d only meant to stock the ship, but of course, nothing was ever _easy_ on their journey anymore. They’re highly wanted criminals, with an infamous captain and endlessly vivid and illustrious dreams. Had they known the island was not only frequented by the marines but also policed by the citizens, they probably wouldn’t have been so relaxed. The new world is full of dangers everywhere, but for the most part, they rely on each other’s strengths and get out of there as quickly as possible. 

Their departure isn’t quiet, however. (Is it _ever_ quiet?) One overzealous marine had launched an array of projectiles at the _Sunny_ , attempting to take out whomever they could. The man had aimed some sort of arrow with an explosive at the ship, and since Zoro and Sanji, the two with the strongest _haki_ on the ship besides Luffy, were currently preoccupied fighting to get stragglers off of their ship, this left the captain reaching out for Robin in her moment of engagement as well. Stepping directly in the way of the arrow so that it wouldn’t pierce her, he grit his teeth as it ran through his shoulder – no real damage done – and pulled the thing out in time for it blow up in his face, letting some sort of bead or liquid sink down his throat. He coughed and wiped his mouth as Robin inquired about his state, but he quickly assured her that he was fine and returned the favor in full, punching the guy’s lights out from hundreds of feet away.

Once they’re out of reach of the island, they deem to celebrate (the usual state of affairs, honestly), but that’s when things start to go wrong. Luffy’s eyes are crossing and he’s not shouting for meat, so the whole crew turns and they experience different levels of panic. Most of them try to remain calm – it’s not going to be so bad, Luffy’s been through worse, he’ll be fine – but they can’t help the nagging at their chests, regardless. Franky and Sanji hurry to his side to prop him up and help him breathe before Chopper pads over, brow furrowed. He pulls tools out of his knapsack while Zoro scowls against the mast and takes even breaths. “It’s some sort of acid…it got into his blood stream through the smoke.” Looking around, he thankfully spots the arrow’s remnants on the deck and hurries to gather it in his arms. “I’m going to start working on a cure right away. Can one of you lift him – _carefully_ – and bring him to the sick bay?”

“I’ll do it,” Robin stands up and offers to Sanji’s protests, holding up a hand. She uses her powers to cradle Luffy’s body softly up into her arms, constantly surprised by how solid he is despite his wiry limbs. “Please.”

They move out of her way to let her through while Chopper starts to work, and as much as they try to relax and chat, they’re all waiting with baited breath for the results.

* * *

 

Chopper’s instructions are clear as he stops into the bay before going to the storage room and his research lab to concoct an antidote. He’s set Luffy up on an IV-drip, and he just wants someone to make sure Luffy sleeps peacefully, make sure that if he wakes that someone makes sure to give him water, and keep an eye on him. He’s not sure how, exactly, the acid is going to affect Luffy, so he warns that their captain may thrash, hallucinate, scream, cry, or any number of things while it burns through his system like a poison, and Robin steels herself for the responsibility that she has undertaken.

“Good luck, Robin,” Chopper wishes before dashing off and she nods somberly. 

For about an hour, things are mostly quiet. Luffy’s sleeping feverishly, turning about as his eyes move rapidly behind their lids, but he’s certainly not restful. Robin tries to focus on a book she’d tucked away in here for just such an occasion, but she can’t even read the words while she knows that Luffy is in such obvious pain. It hurts her so terribly that there’s nothing she can do, but she knows that she can depend on Chopper’s capability as a doctor. 

Then, right after Chopper has peaked his little reindeer head in for a moment and has cobbled back out, Luffy jolts awake, hand clinging to Robin’s arm for dear life and she catches her breath. His eyes are half-lidded and unfocused and his brow is sweatier than she’s seen it in ages. She swallows a lump in her throat and tries to force out words, but he speaks first, a broken rasp of hollow words. “Ace…” Luffy moans and Robin feels restraint in her chest and tears in her eyes. “Please help me…I can’t breathe.”

Robin’s not sure whether she wants to break his illusion, so she says nothing. Luffy’s eyes are welling up with tears and she starts to lose it, letting her tears fall down her cheeks as well, desperately regretful for not paying more attention earlier. She wishes more than anything in the world that she had been the one to get hit because seeing the light of their world flicker under the influence of some _drug_ he’d gotten into his bloodstream is as infuriating as it is disconcerting. Luffy clings to her again, pulling her closer and sucking in harried breaths while he sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ace. I’m so stupid. I’ll always be your stupid, weak little brother.” 

She can’t _stand_ this terrible feeling any more. She’s got to do _something._ “That wasn’t your _fault_ , Luffy. Ace died to _protect_ you because he loved you.” He starts to thrash, and she pulls out extra arms to hold him carefully still to her chest, hoping that the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and the weight of her words will snap him out of this terribly lucid dream. “It’s _okay_ , Luffy. Everything’s going to…to be okay, because I’m here now. _We’re_ here now.” Robin stumbles through the break of her own words, choking down sobs into his shoulder while he keeps moving. “ _Please_ , Luffy. Listen to me. _Trust_ me.” 

Luffy keeps struggling for another few minutes before he wraps his arms around her and stutters out another wave of sobs. “…Robin?” 

“ _Yes_ ,” Robin wheezes through a sniffle, letting her extra arms disappear and clasping his thin back tightly.

“You’re _real_ , right?”

She sucks in a shaky breath. “Yes, Luffy. Absolutely.”

He rubs callous hands across her back while hot, wet, desperate tears soak into her shirt. “And you’re not leaving any more?”

Robin laughs through her tears, a broken sound. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in this world.”

“Thank you,” Luffy breathes, digging his fingernails into her back downright uncomfortably before his grip slackens and his eyes flutter closed again. His body goes slack in her grip and she swallows her sobs before she puts him back on the mattress and tries to calm her nerves. She wipes her tears and recomposes herself, holding Luffy’s hand and trying to convey her well-wishes to him through her warm grip.

Chopper returns in twenty or thirty minutes with a serum to inject and curiously worried eyes. “Did anything happen while I was gone?”

Robin smiles achingly slowly, murmuring, “He slept soundly the whole time.”

* * *

 

Luffy wakes up in the evening, hungry beyond belief and running his mouth a mile a minute. Everyone makes fun of him and teases him, but really, it’s a good reminder for all of them that they can’t let their guard down in the new world. He doesn’t remember anything about his impromptu drugging, except for the vague recollection of the exploding arrow and he frowns a little bit. “Was it a problem?”

Robin turns toward him with a genuinely relieved and happy smile. “No, Luffy. It was no problem at all,” and Luffy smiles back.


End file.
